Plot
A globetrotting hitman and a crestfallen businessman meet in a hotel bar in Mexico City in an encounter that draws them together in a way neither expected.
Release Year: 2005
Rating: 6.9/10 (29,319 voted)
Critic's Score: 65/100
Director:
Richard Shepard
Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear, Hope Davis
Storyline A chance encounter between a travelling salesman and a lonely hitman triggers a strangely profound relationship which provokes each to act in ways neither would have imagined possible. Fate steps in to form a friendship between two men from irreconcilable worlds that will alter the lives of both forever.
Cast: Pierce Brosnan
-
Julian Noble
Arlin Miller
-
Radio DJ
(voice)
Azucena Medina
-
Young Denver Fling
Jonah Meyerson
-
Ten Year Old Boy
Wiveca Bonerais
-
Ten Year Old Boy's Mother
Greg Kinnear
-
Danny Wright
Hope Davis
-
Carolyn 'Bean' Wright
Adam Scott
-
Phil Garrison
Portia Dawson
-
Genevive
Roberto Sosa
-
Skinny Mexican Man
Antonio Zavala Kugler
-
Hotel Bartender 1
Ramon Alvarez
-
Shooting Stand Owner
Luz Maria Molina
-
School Girl
Philip Baker Hall
-
Mr. Randy
Carolyn Horwitz
-
Cantina Turista #1
Taglines:
A hitman and a salesman walk into a bar...
Filming Locations: Centro Histórico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Box Office Details
Budget: $10,000,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: $92,312
(USA)
(1 January 2006)
(4 Screens)
Gross: $17,297,244
(Worldwide)
(6 October 2006)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia: Hope Davis was pregnant during the filming of the movie.
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes:
When Julian and Danny get out of the rental car in the middle of the night, in the middle of winter, you can't see their "breath". The scene was obviously shot during warmer weather, using fake snow.
Quotes: Danny Wright:
[after just learning Julian lied about having a wife]
I mean, what else is a lie? Bean:
Are you even an assassin?
User Review
"Brosnan, Pierce Brosnan," is not all you think...Matador is KILLER Comedy!!
Rating:
A Note: I think it's best if go to the theater thinking, "Pierce
Brosnan = James Bond." This is what I was expecting. Normally, I will
have seen the trailer before going to a film. In this instance, I saw
an advance screening as a part of the Austin Film Festival and had only
seen a promotional photo of Brosnan walking away from an exploding car.
This reinforced the stereotype I had for Brosnan. I think the
distributor of this film would have been wise to promote it in this
manner, feeding people's stereotypes by using this James Bond-esquire
image, for I think the effectiveness of the comedy may in large measure
be a reaction to what a drastic departure it is for Brosnan. And this
was, no doubt, his intention.
Plot Summary: The story is about hit man Julian Noble. Noble, on
assignment in Mexico City, has somewhat of a meltdown when he realizes
his nomadic existence has left him with no one -- no friends or family,
not even a place to call home. Desperate for companionship, he starts
up conversation with Danny Wright, a normal guy, with a normal life, in
town on business. Unaccustomed to normal social etiquette he scares
Wright off, but pleads for forgiveness the next day and requests that
he accompany him to a bull fight. And the comedy begins as Julian
decides to open up to his new friend more about what he does for a
living. All is well until Julian realizes his "meltdown" is serious and
he is having difficulty following through on his "assignments." He
therefore has to ask for help from his new friend Danny.
Analysis: Brosnan took a substantial risk in signing on to this
picture. Paying him less than he would normally receive, and requiring
that he sport a creepy 'stache, a pot belly and trade in his custom-
tailored Armani suits for tight-fitting-euro-pimp threads, you would
think he would be out of his element. It turns out to be quite the
contrary. Brosnan proves that he is more than James Bond or Thomas
Crowne. He proves that he can be one of the most entertaining comedic
actors working right now as well. The dynamic between Kinnear and
Brosnan is delectable. Kinnear plays such a likable straight man cum
everyman, and Brosnan plays such a likable hit man, and the combination
of the two is irresistible. Their rapport with each other is so ripe
for comedy that you want it in every scene.
While the film uses many conventional cinematic devices, I couldn't
help but feel as if I was watching something very fresh and original.
Largely, I can attribute this to the performance of Brosnan, but it was
also interesting that the film maintained the feel of a fast passed
action movie, in keeping with Brosnan's most notable genre.
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